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The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has started fitting prepaid electricity meters on public tower and street lights in a bold new strategy to reduce non-payment and improve accountability by local authorities.
ZESA confirmed it is rolling out the prepaid system in Bulawayo and Chitungwiza, marking the first time councils will have to pre-pay for lighting just like households do.
“This programme is about accountability,” ZETDC said in a statement. “It ensures that councils take responsibility for public lighting by purchasing tokens, which guarantees uninterrupted service.”
By Ruvarashe Gora
The prepaid rollout comes following a long-standing battle over ballooning electricity debts owed by local authorities. In this latest move, ZETDC revealed that councils had been engaged as far back as June 2024, and reminded in May 2025 about the incoming changes.
To cushion the transition, each meter was initially loaded with a small amount of electricity, 50 units for single-phase and 200 units for three-phase installations. According to ZESA, these “grace” units, were meant to give councils time to register the meters and buy their own tokens.
But as the prepaid credit runs out, some councils haven’t moved to purchase more, triggering fresh blackouts that ZETDC insists are self-inflicted.
“The current disconnections are a direct result of the newly installed prepaid meters requiring the purchase of electricity tokens by the local authorities responsible for these public lighting installations,” ZETDC said.
ZETDC says this is just the beginning. The plan includes retrofitting all public lighting points below 100 Amps with prepaid meters and all documentation is being handed over to council officials on-site to fast-track registration and payment.
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